project by Poliforma
︎︎︎
“Muzko is the friend who sits with the children on the ground, who does not care about theirs disabilities because every tone is color, sound and light.”
Muziko is a musical instrument developed for children, with a priority for children with disabilities. The unique architecture follows the needs of blind children, and its technological solution transform sound into light especially for deaf children. It is designed to enable children to play together and simultaneously using their available senses. The main idea is not to separate children by type of disabilities. Everyone gets a common start – the same position, touchless use and the same opportunity to play piano, drums or create a rhythm. Infrared sensors detect their hand movements when they are placed in the appropriate place and generate sound and light at the same time. A blind child can hear the melody it creates, while a deaf child can see the visual transformation of the sound in color and light. A specially designed light metronome helps children who use different senses, playing at the same time, orient themselves in the process. In order for them to play together, Muziko creates a new innovative approach to use, putting their familiar methods of exploring the world on the back burner - in blind touch, in the deaf vibrate and create an environment that works for them, absolutely tailored to their body size and position, speed of hand movement and orientation skill in a dark or quiet space.
Infrared sensors detect hand movements
and simultaneously generate sound and
light.
“Muziko turns children into magicians because they play without touch and because the spac works for them. It creates light and color from sound and rhythm and sound and rhythm from light and color”
The idea was born two years ago and the first prototype is actually just an innovative musical instrument. Presenting it to workshops with children (some of them with disabilities), part of another exhibition called "Art with Disabilities", adapted to Braille, it turns out that Muziko can be used by everyone. There follows a long period of improvements to items that can facilitate its use by children with disabilities, eyes closed tests or in absolute silence, as well as a choice of lightweight, safe and comfortable materials for construction. The main priority became the idea of how to make Muziko jump over the fun part and serve as an education. Today, it is a musical instrument that would help a child with a disability in a fun and attractive way to take the first step towards music, to try without any effort and knowledge what it is like to play the piano or drums, what rhythm is and how to create a melody. For many children, it could be the only instrument on which they create music. For second, it will be the first step towards professional success. For third, it will be the way to see the rhythm or to recognize the tones in a color.